App user engagement refers to all the behaviors and activities users conduct in an app. Generally, if users spend more time and launch the app more frequently, it means that they are more satisfied with the app or the service provided, which in a way, represents the success of the app. Therefore, we can say that a high user engagement rate represents a more successful app. But how to measure app user engagement? Here are some metrics to be considered.
Metrics for App User Engagement
- Daily Login Frequency Per User
Daily login frequency per user refers to how many times the app is opened in a single day by a user. It is a truth that some users download an app but rarely use it in their daily life. So this metric reflects how much a user likes the app and how willing they are to continue using it.
- Daily Active Users
Daily Active Users is the number of unique users who launched the app within a day. Unlike Daily Login Frequency measures the reliance of a user on the App, DAU reflects the churn rate of total users and potential problems in user experience. - Average Session Length
Average Session Length refers to the amount of time every app user spends on an app, on an average level. A shorter session length does not necessarily mean that the app is bad. For example, if the user gets what he needs on the app quickly, the short duration of use is actually a good thing. So app categories should be taken into consideration when analyzing this app engagement metric. - App Session Intervals
App session intervals refer to how often users use the app. It is quite important while calculating user engagement or retention over a specific time period. In general, highly engaging apps have shorter session intervals, which means users return to the app quite frequently. - Retention Rate
Retention rate is considered the most critical metric for in-app user engagement. It measures the user's willingness to stay on the app. This metric helps determine whether user retention has decreased or increased. - User Acquisition
User acquisition is the process of converting a potential visitor into actual users. For apps, whenever a new user installs and uses an app, it is counted as one user acquisition. - Number of Pages Visited
The number of pages visited refers to the number of pages users have opened in the app. It is an app user engagement metric that can monitor what users are doing on the app and how they use the features. Knowing user behavior can help improve UX issues and do accurate marketing. - Longest and Shortest Visit Duration
The longest and shortest visit duration refers to the time users spend on each page in the app. This app user engagement metric can help judge which feature provides the most value for users and which feature can be abandoned. So the development team can focus resources on what users find useful. - Page with the Most Interactions
The page with the most interactions means the page that users engage the most, for example, they do more taps, swipes, drags, and editings. It is a metric to know user behavior and serves as a sign of whether to optimize UX or not. - Number of App Events at a Specific Time
App events refer to the operations users participate in the app. There are some crucial events in an app and it varies for different app categories. For example, for a shopping app, some crucial events include registering, logging in, going to the shopping cart, adding to a wishlist, and adding payment information. This app user engagement metric is helpful in understanding user behavior and optimizing user experience. - Lifetime value (LTV)
Lifetime value is an app user engagement metric concerning revenue. It shows the economic value of a user. From this metric, we can know the revenue of the app, user engagement, retention and so on. It provides valuable advice for optimizing marketing strategies. Here are ten ways to boost LTV for subscription apps.
How to Analyze App User Engagement
With a diverse user base (as is the case with most apps), analyzing app user engagement would be a little challenging. However, we can always use smarter ways to help with user engagement analysis. Here are two ways that may be helpful：
1. Cohort Analysis
Analytically, cohort analysis divides users into different user groups based on their behavior in the app or other similar features within a certain time frame. Cohort analysis can help us understand how users interact with an app, allowing us to predict behavioral trends and user engagement over time. For example, Appflow.ai's cohort analysis can segment users based on their behaviors in the app and also enable app owners or marketers to do cohort analysis based on their behaviors, such as installs or subscriptions, geographic location, acquisition channels, platforms and so on. Such cohort analysis can help understand user needs and expectations of your app, helping retain and recall users.
2. Funnels
A funnel is an entire process from when users install the app to when they make a purchase or a subscription. As part of qualitative analysis, funnels can be used to scrutinize where users abandon. For example, for a subscription-based app, a user funnel can reflect why the user did not complete the subscription process. Appflow.ai creates user funnels as soon as the user installs the app, so you can see the number of installs, trials, subscriptions, refunds, renewals and other metrics. Such funnels can identify key friction points in the user process, optimize them in a targeted manner, and increase user engagement.
Final Thought
App user engagement, in a way, can reflect the health of an app. Increasing app engagement rates should be an important KPI for app marketers because it can drive customer loyalty and app growth. So take careful research on these app user engagement metrics and find out the most important ones for your app growth. Using smart tools or methods, such as cohort analysis and funnels in appflow.ai, for analyzing the acquired data can give a deeper insight into users and therefore help increase app user engagement and boost app growth.
11 Important Metrics for App User Engagement
